Birthday party!

February is a busy birthday month for us. Both boys are February babies and our roomie/sister from another mister is also a February b-day. Easton turned 3 on the 3rd. We woke up, enjoyed a delicious birthday donut from aunt Kiki and let him watch movies, eat snacks and play all the games! We went to  swim lessons and plays a bit extra in the water park and got an extra treat from the sweets shop at Great wolf. So he enjoyed his golden birthday pllennntty.

I started planning their birthday party after Christmas. I decided that since the boys birthdays are only two weeks apart, that we should combine their party into one, rather than try to convince people to come out to two parties 15 days apart. I asked Easton what kind of party he would like and his input was 'a birthday party!' Well OK! A nice low bar set for mama, that kid gets it.

After pintresting up a storm, searching my favorite blogs for ideas, and repeatedly suggesting things to Easton (&whoever would listen) we finally settled on a theme: Pirates in honor of Easton's beloved Jake and the Never Land Pirates.

T.G.F.P [thank god for pintrest], amiright?!? I spent a lot of time pinning all the things piratey, thinking up decor ideas and trying to figure out how to pull it off on a small budget. Normally when I throw a party the first thing I do is make a list of TO DO, that becomes the main list and then there are usually around 5 additional lists: guests, decor, menu, games, and shopping. This just helps me keep everything in working order while not losing track of a 3 year old and nearly 1 year old and a puppy.

The menu came together really quickly and each dish was given a new pirate name. I took a piece of white drawing paper and stained it with coffee to give it that special treasure map look. Then i gathered my supplies: a lighter for burning the edges, a bowl for scraping the ashes in, glue and cardstock to help them stand up.

Each pirate dish was given a special name: Treasure Map Pizza & breadsticks, Planks & cheese [crackers and cheese], Fish & Chips [goldfish crackers and chips in bowl], Octopus dip [veggies and dip, but the dip was in a bell pepper with legs to look like an octopus], Rusty Cannonballs [bbq meatballs], Gold Doubloons [Nilla Wafers], Seaweed Salad [pasta salad], Pirates Jewels [fruit salad], and Eels in a Blanket [pigs in a blanket].  It was A LOT of food, I tend to over do it but there were almost 40 people there and we had enough food, little leftover!

I could not find a bunting or pirate banners anywhere, so a little construction paper and a couple of nap times and :

Finally, on Saturday we were ready for the party. I packed up everything and headed to my sisters house where we had the party. They have a great house that has nice big rooms, a sledding hill and can handle 12 kids on the GO!

And thats where the pictures end, at this point people started showing up and I got lost in the mix. We went sledding, opened presents and had a great time! And I went cheap on the cake and got [delicious] Sam's Club cupcakes. Which if you never have: GET SOME! they are so good. Luckily, we did capture a few cake shots:

It was a great birthday! We are looking forward to enjoying Hudson's real birthday on the 18th and not having to plan anything until....this weekend for roomie Katie!

Crazy days

Sometimes I just want to throw my hands in the air so everyone knows I've lost control of the ship. Wave the white flag, call in back up, consult the manual.

Because I have no clue what I am doing. At. All.

I'm currently camped out in the bathroom, while a chorus of cries erupt from outside the locked door. Not to be alarmed, because their father is out there, so should any actual need arise they would be attended to. But it isn't need that drives them. I am convinced that my children are driven by sheer will to break mama.

Take for example our early morning routine. Hudson usually wakes up first, happy and hopping in his crib. I remove him from cage and try wrangling him into a new fresh diaper -cue tears #1

After he is dresses and ready for play I quickly whip him up breakfast, usually something along the lines of
oatmeal or pancakes. However, I never move fast enough and he is obviously starving so -cue tears #2

I strap huddy into high chair -tears #3 and get his food to him. Usually around this time Easton awakes from his slumber. If he doesn't come out of his room immediately crying, he will start crying as soon as I tell him papa is at work -#4, that we have either the truck or the car (he asks every morning which vehicle we have at home and it's always the wrong answer and it doesn't matter which answer it is..) #5, and then to cap it off he cries over what I made for breakfast #6.

After breakfast we move on to morning playtime. If we get thru these hours with out cries #7-14, it's an absolute shocker.

Cry #15 accompanies Hudson's morning nap. #16 is when I don't tuck him in right, #17 is when I won't turn on the tv/give Easton the iPad/watch a movie etc before he picks up the living room.

#18 is usually when Hudson wakes up. #19 will be because some toy got swiped from brothers hands, #20 will be a fall down or a head bonk or a why aren't you holding me mama?!?!?


And so on and so forth and fifth and sixth, you get the picture..

It is almost a constant parade of tears, screams and shrieks. 

but not always...

Sometimes it is a hurricane of anger and throwing and yelling and hitting. Both boys can turn on the crazzzzyyy at any given moment. Hudson is constantly on the move, he gets into everything and puts everything in his mouth. Easton breezes through the house the way a tornado breezes through Oklahoma. He can overturn the cleanest of houses with a wink and a smile, his not-so-tiny brother right behind him checking to see if there is anything edible among the wreakage. 

He gets his crazy face from...el diablo perhaps?

[I had to stop there and just came back to this post two days later...]

We had to venture out to the "big store" as Easton calls Meijer today. I really should have known. I just should of known. At one point I was letting Easton pick out his birthday toy (5 days after the day+lack of surprise=mom of the year!)  and I turn around to check the cart and..

Huddy Hustle can not be contained

At least he had a birthday donut!

 These kids drive me crazy, in the worst way and best way. I am always trying to come up with new things to keep them happy and occupied. New crafts and adventures. We build big forts and secret hideouts. But lately, thanks to this:

the snow hangs down further these days

It is pretty though

 the cabin fever is an epidemic. We try to go out and play, but Easton only lasts about 10 minutes. The little one doesn't go outside when its anywhere from -22 to a steamy 7 degrees out. Instead he hangs out inside working on throwing the ball and feeding himself.

Even though these days are rough, it makes the moments when I do steal away more worth it, more savored, more appreciated. I was able to step out yesterday morning. and by step out I mean rush over to my sisters to play car roulette. But I took my time getting home since josh was there, I may have even taken a nice quick soak in her jacuzzi tub [which is ALWAYS worth it and I will ALWAYS find time for it]. And my sister and I got out for a little wedding consulting in the afternoon. There was a time when it was awful to leave my boys. I would get really sick to my stomach and upset about it. I still choose to spend any free time {what?!?!? free time, hahahahahhahahah} with them. But I have learned that taking 20 minutes a day to myself makes a huge diffference and if i can get more, thats great too! Because I know when I get home, they will be waiting.

Adventures in snow.

Do you know how often I look at my kids and think what did I do to deserve this?!?! What could I have possibly done that warrants screaming fits over not wanting to make snow cream?? What, child please clue me in because this mama has nada. No clues, just cold. This was Tuesday..

Polar Vortex? More like regular January in Michigan.

 I mean really...What did i doooooo? Just kidding I know what I've done, it involves being a pushover, too many cookies and a pair of brown eyed boys I can't say no to..

There was a polar vortex, negative double digit temperatures and the cabin fever is RAMPANT 'roun dees parts. I get that part. But, hey super sensitive super crabby almost three year old, I'm grasping at straws and pulling out ever pintrested idea I have to keep us allllll sane in the membrane. So get with it, check the facebook and blog feeds and realize that everyone is making le creme lately. So up on the bandwagon kiddo.

Hunting and gathering snow, also see: unimpressed

That'll do.

That is the snow covering my boots, it is almost to my knee and I'm not touching grass.

Ingredients assemble!

Oh what is that child, you don't want to make a treat???

Wait. WAIT,  "it's ice-ceem mom? Oh I like that!"

Gave Hudson a little snow to play with, he decided to eat it and then cried because it was cold.

Snow-cream was a hit, Easton was pretty excited that we made ice cream out of snow. He wasn't excited at first, but then he caught on that we were using sugar (read:his main food group) he was happy as a clam! After a successful gourmet experience, Easton and I headed outside to build a snowball [snowman] only to discover that it wasn't snowball [snowman] snow. Frigid polar vortex + no lake effect lately = no snowball [snowman]. We still had fun outside while Hudson napped:

"I made a Snow Angie!" Yes you did! 

Bundled up, up, up!

Easton then decided he wanted me to build a spooky forest. A spooky forest huh? Yes with a spooky owl! Out of snow? Yes, with trees and its spooky! Uhhh, ok.. How about a half-assed snowfort? Eh? Pretty cool right?!?!? what is this mom? A snow fort, go in it! Its ok, its not very spooky. and there isnt any trees... 

There was sand left over in the bucket from this summer. 

Maybe this can be improved upon, but for now this is the high life. 

Super unimpressed

"Ok can we go inside now for cocoa?"

Anyways, in Huddy news. His head has rounded out his neck is not longer kinked and we don't have to see doctors every week anymore! YAY! Grow Huddy Grow!

This better not be snow again mama...

 Also, he thinks he is super big and tries to feed himself these days. So I hold the bowl of food, grab his hand that is holding the utensil, and put food on it. Then LET GO! because if I hold on too long he screams!

Getting WAY TOO BIG!

I can not believe that we have two big birthdays coming up next month. Easton turns 3 on the third [golden birthday, whatwhat?!!] and Hudson turns 1 on the 18th! We are currently working on party plans and HOPEFULLY I will take a picture or two of the party! 

So until next time, heres the boys being cute playing together....

a little [surprise] break {picture heavy}, Christmas update and super surprise at the end.

I did not intend to take a break from writing, but life was crazy busy for the last month. I went back to work, was overwhelmed with Christmas, make one too many sweets, and way too much food. We ran around on Christmas eve and Christmas, visiting with all our family in the area and the boys have so many toys, I don't know what to do with them. It was a pretty good Holiday season. 

 Easton put up our [annoyingly hard to put up] tree. He managed to do most of it by himself.

 He was pretty proud.

Hudson rode piggy back while I shoveled, he was less than impressed.

This is a thing now. Crawling and standing, and pulling everything down and participating in mess making..

My favorite holiday tradition!

Goofy face

Homemade garlic cheese bread. This was so easy and delicious. Like crazy good.

Sorry, not sorry it's upside down. If it was right side up you'd try to eat the screen.

Santa came!

Before present opening

Mr. Cool and his tool bench

Mr. Truck man.

The handsomest men I know.

We had a great Christmas and enjoyed spending a lot of time with family. We had a very busy, busy December including a *surprise* birthday party for Travis. I didn't get very many pictures, but it included a salsa bar, homemade decorations, a pinata, taco salad bar, and lots of great people.

Salsa Bar, with 6 different types of salsas

Decorations!

Delicious cake

 The pictures don't do it justice but the party was great and these are the most important pictures of all:

Travis pulled off the ultimate surprise and made the cutest DVD, under the guise that his mom made it for him for his birthday. It started with school pictures and memories and a birthday song. Katie and Travis were seated up front and we were all gathered behind them. All of a sudden on of Katie's favorite songs comes on and it switches to pictures from the last couple years. If I claim I wasn't crying before this exact moment, my pants would be on fire. Photos flashed of them on cruises, at family events, parties, all the great memories they have made together. Then this jam came on and people started to figure it out. Travis did a great job pulling off the best surprise not surprise birthday but oh wait it is a surprise engagement! It was beautiful and we are so excited they are getting married! They couldn't be more perfect for each other!

Over all, it was a great Christmas season. Looking forward to celebrating tonight the start of the new year.